


The Prince and the Witch

by TreesOfAsh



Series: Erebor's Pebbles [3]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Baby Durins, Baby Durins love stories, Baby Dwarves, Canon-Typical Violence, Durins come out like salt and pepper shakers, Dwarf Pebbles, Erebor Reclaimed, F/M, Family, Kid Fic, M/M, MGiME, Or seventeenth? For a bit, Parenthood, Quest fic, Sixteenth Walker, Slice of Life, Sort Of, Story within a Story, dad!Kili, fight me, not an important facet though, sorta - Freeform, tags added as we go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:55:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24881914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TreesOfAsh/pseuds/TreesOfAsh
Summary: “Alright, so what story would you like?”“The Prince and the Witch!” Víli cheered.“Nottawitch! She’s a- a- ‘prentish!” Tíli corrected indignantly, scowling at her brother.“Aye, to a wizard! So she’s a witch!”“Is not!”“Is to!”“Would you like to hear the story, or argue about it instead?”Or,The story of the Company of Thorin Oakenshield’s Quest to Reclaim the Lonely Mountain, as told by Kíli, son of Valí and Elenor Campbell.Or,Kíli and Elenor’s story.
Relationships: Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield, Kíli/Original Female Character(s), Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: Erebor's Pebbles [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1792540
Comments: 3
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter One ~ Spiders and Rabbits and Bats, Oh My

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all!  
> Please note that while I do my best to edit, I do not have a beta reader. So if you catch something, please feel free to bring it to my attention. Also, this first chapter is being uploaded on my phone, so if there’s wonky formatting that I’ve missed please let me know!  
> Khuzdul at the bottom!  
> Please enjoy.

“But Mama, I’m not tired!” The small dwarrowdam protested. She was dressed for bed, already in her little white nightgown. While her fluffy sideburns were still to short to do anything with, her blonde hair was braided in a single plait down her back so it wouldn’t get too mussed during the night. She clutched a stuffed doll in her arms, and shifted from foot to foot on the cold stone floor.  
Her exclamation would have been more convincing had she not punctuated it with a large yawn.  
Elenor smiled gently at her daughter from the doorway. The room was already dimly lit, the fire crackling lowly in the fireplace, and all lights extinguished except for a couple oil lamps. Her son was already in bed, though he was sitting up and playing with two wooden soldiers in his bed sheets. She had braided his dark hair for bed as well, though she noticed he had already made quick work of the ties and it was halfway loose again.  
Elenor crossed the room to her little one, sweeping her into her arms. The pebble immediately took hold one of Elenor’s braids in a tiny hand, sticking it in her mouth.  
“Is that so?” Elenor indulged, stooping to place the little one back into bed.  
“Mhm!” the little one replied around a mouthful of braid. Elenor chuckled, gently pulling it back and flipping it over her shoulder and out of reach. She pulled the blankets and furs up to the child’s shoulders to ward off the chill-an unfortunate consequence of living under a mountain- and then sat on the edge of the small bed.  
“Well, perhaps a story would help?” She suggested with a smile.  
“Mama can I listen to Tïli’s story too?” Her son piped up, looking worried.  
“Of course, Víli, it’s your bedtime story as well. Come here, my love.” She held an arm open, and he scampered off the bed, leaving one soldier abandoned amongst his crumpled bedding. She hefted him up and over her knees, placing him gently down next to his sister. This, of course, did not go smoothly.  
“Ouch! Víli, that’s my hand!”  
“Sorry! Sorry Tíli, sorry!”  
“Off, off!”  
“Children, children, settle- alright, under the covers, Víli, there’s a lad.” Elenor intervened before the squabble got out of hand, ushering her son under the covers so he was snug next to his sister.  
“There we are. Comfy?” Twin nods. “Alright, so what story would you like?” She asked.  
“The Prince and the Witch!” Víli cheered, narrowly avoiding smacking Tíli in the face when he threw his hands up.  
“Nottawitch! She’s a- a- ‘prentish!” Tíli corrected indignantly, scowling at her brother. “Apprentice, dear-“ Elenor started, before Víli interrupted.  
“Aye, to a wizard! So she’s a witch!”  
“Is not!”  
“Is to!”  
“Would you like to hear the story, or argue about it instead?” Elenor cut in smoothly, with the practice of a mother who had done so many times before. The twins quieted immediately, looking at her with wide eyes.  
“Sorry Mama.”  
“Aye, sorry Mama.”  
“Now, are you sure you’d like this one again? You’ve heard it so many times.” She asked, and they both nodded eagerly. She smiled at them, shaking her head slightly. It was their favourite, and she had no doubt that they would have the entirety of it memorized by the time they grew too old for bedtime tales.  
“Alright. Well, then, let’s see...our story starts with-“ she began, only to be cut off once more. “What do we have here?” A smooth, deep voice interrupted, and she looked over her shoulder at the doorway. Her husband was there, grinning at the three of them, eyes sparkling with amusement.

Two delighted cries of “ _Adad_!” rang out, and Kíli pushed off the doorframe to enter the room properly.  
“I see two pebbles who should be asleep! What in Middle Earth are you two troublemakers still doing up?” He teased, dropping down to sit on the other side of the bed.  
“Mama’s gonna tell us about the Prince and the Witch!” Víli said excitedly. Tíli huffed hotly. “Nottaw-“  
“Is she? That’s very nice of her. Hello, _amrâlimê_.” Kíli interrupted the budding argument, leaning over to kiss Elenor.  
“Eww!”  
“Mama, _Adad_ , gross!” Their children protested, and Kíli laughed heartily at their childish disgust. He swung his feet up and onto the bed, wiggling exaggeratedly to get comfortable before finally reclining on his elbow. In the small, dwarfling-sized bed, his feet hung off the end so he was just a couple feet away from the headboard, head beside Víli’s tummy.  
“Well, Mama, start the story.” He teased Elenor, and she rolled her eyes playfully.  
“So, as I was saying, our story starts in a forest. A very old, very large forest...”

* * *

  
“Radagast? Radagast, where are you?” Elenor’s voice rang as loud as she could raise it, as she ducked under low hanging branches and hopped over exposed roots. Her ears strained for any sign of her quirky mentor, but with her heartbeat echoing in her ears she wasn’t entirely sure she would hear a response- if there even was one. Radagast was not always able to respond, caught as often as he was in his own head.  
Ducking yet again, she peered down at the little bundle of quills in her arm and winced sympathetically. Sebastian was writhing quietly, little muscles tense. She could feel the sharp pricks of his quills through her sleeve, but there was no time to stop and adjust the little fellow. She was distracted from her worry for a moment as a sharp pain tugged at her skull.  
“Hey-! Oh, it’s you!” She gasped at the little bird who pulled firmly at her hair. It was one of Radagast’s winged... tenants. “I need to find him straight away, do you know where he is?” The bird chirped, and began tugging a little harder at her hair. Elenor allowed herself to be directed, only hoping she was going in the right direction. Bird-Speak was something of a complicated study, with so many dialects it made her head spin, and Radagast had never been able to get it to stick in her brain.  
But it turned out that her trust had not been misplaced. A couple sharp turns and more than a few heartbeats later, she found her mentor hovering over a tree examining a thick, tar like substance.  
 _Please don’t put that in your mouth._  
The thought echoed faintly in the back of her mind as she rushed forward. Overhead, her guide trilled a welcome to its walking nest. Radagast turned at the sound, lifting his hat to let the small creature and its brethren return home, before looking over at Elenor.  
“Radagast, thank goodness- it’s Sebastian, I found him by the woodpile- he isn’t well!” She panted, rushing over. Radagast’s face dropped as he looked down at the hedgehog in her arms.  
“Oh, no. Sebastian! Good gracious,” he scooped said creature out of her arms to cradle him closely, “Come my dear!” he called over his shoulder, already rushing out of the clearing. Elenor slumped forward, planting her hands on her knees and breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth roughly. Her lungs burned, and her legs were tired, but she set off after the wizard a couple moments later. She had learned very quickly during her time with Radagast that if you don’t keep up, you were likely to be left behind. She pushed herself to close the distance, and with her hands now free she was able to pick her skirts up and out of the way.  
Not for the first time, she was astounded at the old wizard’s athleticism; he wasn’t evening panting as he launched himself over fallen trees at a good pace. Also not for the first time, her lungs reminded her that she should have put more effort into gym class while she had been in school.

In the end, Radagast ended up reaching home scant seconds before she did, throwing open the door to their dilapidated tree-hut with a loud bang. She heard Delores’ surprised shriek, and sure enough when she made it over the threshold her sister was sprawled on the floor, rough stool on the ground beside the table where she had tumbled off of it.  
“Elly, what on earth is going on?” Delores demanded, getting to her feet and brushing her leggings and tunic off, “Is the Sebastian?” she continued as Radagast set him down on the table gently.  
Elenor swept passed to the far shelf, pulling all sorts of mixtures, tinctures, and liquids down from their rustic planks. Radagast was a flurry of motion, trying to tempt spoonfuls of what looked like Delores’ abandoned porridge into Sebastian’s mouth unsuccessfully.  
“Yes, I found him by the woodpile- I think he’s been poisoned.” Elenor answered absentmindedly, trying to remember which of her infusions would be safe for hedgehogs. Delores gaped. “I hadn’t though the forest sickness had come so far yet!”  
Elenor shrugged helplessly at her sister, just as baffled. She quickly turned her attention back to her current task: trying to stay one step ahead and anticipate Radagast’s needs as he danced about, looking for the next solution every time one failed.  
Delores stayed well back and out of the way; any help she offered would only be a hindrance and they both knew it. Her sister wasn’t all that interested in this kind of teaching- she much preferred wandering the forest practicing with her quarterstaff. Sure, Delores could name all the plants she came across, but aside from knowing what was safely edible (taste notwithstanding)? That was firmly in Elenor’s court.  
“Move back! Give him some air, for goodness sake!” Behind her, Delores popped into action at Radagast’s cry. She shushed and comforted the small group of hedgehogs, sweeping them off of the table and into her arms, and then took several steps backwards so they were all well out of the way. Radagast and Elenor sped around the room, circling Sebastian and occasionally humming to him. Elenor watched the wizard closely, waiting for the moments where he would pause and look around wildly. It wasn’t hard to figure out what he was looking for, if you knew his thought process. Admittedly, his thought process was a little... creative... but she had been with him for seven years now. She knew how he operated. So when he paused, she was there to step in quickly and press whatever it was he wanted into his hands without comment. She had learned how to be efficient, under Radagast’s slightly absentminded tutelage. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, nothing seemed to be working. Tears pricked, and then burned, her eyes as Elenor watched as Sebastian either refused to take (or could not take) treatments, and when he did they did nothing to ease his pain.  
Elenor pressed the back of her hand to her mouth, swallowing thickly and blinking back tears. The lump in her throat didn’t fade whatsoever. She and her sister watched as Sebastian seemed to wilt into the tabletop, and Radagast’s voice rang with worried frustration.  
“I don’t understand why it’s not working! It’s not as if it’s witchcraft!”  
And then the entire room seemed to darken. Elenor’s eyes snapped to her sister, only to find Delores staring at her already. They shared a look of dread at their mentor’s words. Not poison, then.  
“... A dark and powerful magic.” Radagast murmured. Elenor’s hand muffled her gasp as shadows began covering the windows. The hair on her arms and the back of her neck raised as she listened to the scratching and clawing against the sides of the hut, as something (or many somethings) climbed its way up to the roof. As dust fell from their rafters and the noises got louder, mice and other small woodland creatures emerged from every nook, cranny, and crack in their home. They flocked to Radagast, who was now slumped on the floor chanting to Sebastian.  
Delores caught Elenor’s upper arm in a bruising grip as she tugged on her to sit next to Radagast, dumping the hedgehog family into her arms. Immediately she was swarmed by more shaking animals, and she tried to clutch as many as she could. She watched as Delores wedged a chair under the doorknob and snatched up her quarterstaff, planting her feet and facing the door in a defensive stance. The noise continued to grow, the room got darker, and the girls’ skin crawled until- it was quiet again. The shadows slid from the windows, and sunlight streamed through the glass as though they had never been covered. Radagast’s chanting stopped, and he chuckled fondly- Elenor looked down at his arms to see Sebastian seemingly back to health and squirmy. By the time the darkness had been plucked from the hedgehog, Elenor’s arms were full of mice, rats, squirrels, and all manner of other scared creatures; most of which were squeaking happily to Sebastian. She tried to set them down as gently as possible, but even the few that tumbled a little roughly didn’t seem to mind. Radagast plopped his patient down in the middle of their little herd, before rushing away.

“What the fuck was- Radagast, wait!” Delores called after him, reaching down to haul Elenor to her feet. Together the sisters chased after him, but he hadn’t gone far; they found him stock still behind the hut. The three watched, dumbfounded, as giant spiders lumbered away from their home lazily. As if they weren’t in any hurry at all, just enjoying a stroll.  
Elenor tucked her hand into Radagast’s elbow and shared a concerned look with her sister as he mumbled to himself, and then to a bird. She wasn’t able to catch most of the conversation, as it was in Bird-Speak and spoken quite quickly, but she thought she may have heard something about an old fortress.  
“Show me!” He demanded in the common tongue, and then began moving towards the rabbit hutch. Elenor made to follow him, but Delores caught her arm first.  
“What was he saying?” She asked.  
“I have no idea- something about a fortress? I don’t think he’s ever mentioned one before.” Elenor replied, and Delores shook her head. Together, they stepped into the overly large hutch. As per usual, Radagast was deep in his own thoughts and didn’t notice his charges until they were right under his nose. This time, ‘right under his nose’ meant ‘standing right behind him’ as he hooked up the rabbit team.  
“Oh, girls! Excuse me, really must be off-“  
“We’re coming with you, Radagast.” Elenor interrupted gently. Radagast’s face crumpled into a grimace.  
“No, no, no, that is not a good idea. Stay here and-“  
“If you’re going after giant spiders, Radagast, you’re going to need backup. And if you’re going to some fortress, it’s not a good idea to go alone either.” Delores said. Radagast opened his mouth again, and by the look on his face he wasn’t quite done protesting. Elenor grasped his wrist gently.  
“Please, Radagast, let us come with you.” She implored, affectionately rubbing a thumb over his wrist. His eyes were unusually wide and alert, and bounced between the two of them for a moment. Vaguely, Elenor wondered what he was looking for; but whatever it was he must have found it because the next moment he was smiling and shaking his head fondly at them.  
“Get on, then.”  
And they were off.

* * *

  
The forest was beyond sickly around the dilapidated fortress. Elenor winced, taking in the diseased trees around them; it was worse than even the farthest reaches they had explored around Rhosgobel, and she had thought that was bad. Not that she had Radagast’s sixth sense when it came to nature, but it was evident even to a full blooded human not from this world that the forest was ill. Warped. This was not the Greenwood that Radagast had brought them home to years ago, which was lush and green and almost like a fairy tale.  
She slumped down on the wicker branch sled and watched Delores pace back and forth in front of her, swearing under her breath about stubborn wizards and foolhardy plans. She had been less than pleased when Radagast had seen the state of the forest, and promptly demanded they stay with the rabbits. But the wizard had been unnaturally serious, irate even, when they had tried to protest and so the two women hadn’t been inclined to argue and that was the end of that. It hadn’t stopped her older sister from stomping about like the grass itself was to blame, though.  
The fortress in the distance didn’t look all that healthy either. It was a crumbling ruin, and even from so far away she could see that. A pit formed in her gut and she tried her hardest not to worry too much about Radagast. He was, after all, practically ancient. Ancient, fast, and powerful when he wanted to be. Not to mention it was under his instruction that Delores trained with her staff- he would be fine. He had been fine for uncountable years before Elenor and Delores had shown up... it was silly for her to worry, she tried to convince herself.  
In the end, however, it was scarcely a half hour since her mentor had disappeared into the forest that he was back again.  
Sort of.  
Elenor and Delores heard him before they saw him, as he crashed through the underbrush yelping “Quick! Quick! Quick!”.  
Evidently the rabbits heard him too, and began moving forward even before their master was in proper sight. Elenor lurched sideways and landed painfully on her elbow as the sled jolted beneath her, and Delores scrambled after it. Elenor watched with mild panic as her sister stumbled over an exposed root, catching herself before she went ass over teakettle and lurching forward after the sled.  
“Delly!” Elenor yelled, throwing out a hand as soon as she sat up to try and help her sister onto the vehicle. Delores jumped on roughly, swearing colourfully as the sled wobbled.  
“Wait for me!” Radagast was yelling, and both women stretched over the handlebar to grab at his outstretched hands. He leapt, shaking the sled violently as the sisters grasped at his arms to keep him steady as the rabbits continued to speed up. Something large, black, and flapping caught the Elenor’s eye and she gaped incredulously.  
“Radagast look out!” she shrieked, and Radagast had just enough time to knock the bat out of the air with the end of his staff.  
“Get down, girls!” He exclaimed, ducking himself to avoid a dead tree trunk. Delores’ hand was rough as she forced Elenor’s head down. She followed her sister’s silent instruction, and squeezed her eyes shut, listening as one bat, and then two, and then a third fell victim to the end of her companions’ staffs. She almost felt bad for the creatures, but at their size it was either beat or be beaten and that was no choice at all. Radagast had never mentioned giant bats, but then he had never said anything about giant spiders either so maybe she shouldn’t have been so surprised.  
Eventually, long minutes stretched by without any bat thumpings and the scent of decay wasn’t as strong. It didn’t smell like the earthy, healthy forest around her home, exactly, but not as diseased as they had been next to the fortress. She opened her eyes after a little while, when nausea threatened her, but kept her head down to avoid branches. She tried her hardest to pretend she was on some rollercoaster back home, and when the rabbits took them over what felt like a small cliff, she whooped in laughter even as her stomach dropped. She laughed harder as Delores clung to her tightly after the sudden drop, screaming all the while.

* * *

  
Tíli’s eyes had long drifted shut, lost to the world as she succumbed to her dreams, but Víli blinked sleepily at his mother when she finished talking.  
“All done, Mama?” He asked quietly, mouthing on his wooden soldier. She smiled softly at him as Kíli tugged the toy gently from his hands, twisting to place it on the beside table.  
“Just for tonight, sweetheart. We should be nice and wait for Tíli to hear the rest, shouldn’t we?” She asked quietly, and he nodded slowly at her. She and Kíli got off the bed, and she watched fondly as her husband stooped to tuck the little boy in a little snugger.  
“Sweet dreams, my son.” He whispered, pressing a kiss to Víli’s forehead and pushing an errant strand of dark hair out of his face. Her heart swelled as Víli leaned into his father’s hand and mumbled something, presumably a ‘goodnight _adad_ ’ before snuggling deeper into one of Tíli’s pillows. Together they crept out of the room, taking the oil lamps with them. Once they were out, door clicking closed behind them, Elenor slumped against the wall and sighed. Kíli chuckled.

“Were they a handful this evening?” He asked, and she covered her eyes with her free hand. “I’m fairly certain we need to apologize to Bilbo quite extensively. They broke one of his bowls this evening. On accident, of course, but I doubt we’ll have the honour of using that particular set again until they’re married off.”  
“Not his Westfarthing pottery?” Kíli winced, and she nodded. He offered her his hand and she accepted, twining their fingers together as they wandered back down the hall to their own bedroom.  
“He said he wasn’t angry, and the twins did apologize right away, but... he turned a rather interesting shade of puce for a few minutes.” She admitted. Kíli shook his head. He was going to have to call in some favours to replace the bowl... perhaps he could ask the next caravan captain to make an extra stop?  
Elenor smiled when he said as much, and replied “That may be a good idea. Bilbo loves the twins, but it’s probably a good thing he and Thorin aren’t planning on any little ones themselves... he enjoys being particular a little too much to have them around all of the time.” She said, opening the door to their own room.  
The fire was still crackling high, so the servants must have added some more recently, she mused silently, draping her housecoat over one of their armchairs and setting the oil lamp down. Kíli’s hand ran over her hips, and he pressed a couple slow, careful kisses to her shoulder.  
“Speaking of not having little ones around...” He murmured, and she laughed, letting him tug her to their bed.


	2. Chapter 2

Elenor was reviewing inventory sheets at her desk when the double doors to the infirmary swung open. She looked up to see her husband strolling down the middle of the ward, passing the empty beds. It had been quiet recently, thank Mahal, but paperwork stopped for no woman. 

Kíli was holding Víli on his hip, and the pebble had buried his face into the crook of his father’sneck. Holding on to the edge of Kíli’s coat was Tíli, sporting an unusually somber expression.

“Kee? What’s the matter?” Elenor asked, rising to come around the desk. Her family met her before she could take more than a couple steps towards them, and then she heard muffled sniffles from her son. Kíli jostled his shoulder gently, and Víli pulled away. His face, and now Kíli’s shirt, was covered in tears and snot. He had a bright red bump in the centre of his forehead, which was already starting to bruise.

“Oh dear, sweetheart.” She sighed, brushing his bangs aside to take a better look. He flopped forward, and Kíli pitched towards her as well as he tried to keep the little one from tumbling to the ground. Between the two of them they managed to situate the dwarfling securely in his mother’s arms with no sudden drops.

“What happened?” She asked Kíli when their son made no move to actually say anything besides soft hiccups.

“Took a little tumble on the stairs.”

“He fell down the stairs?”  
“No, no, he fell _up_ the stairs. Damn steps just keep getting taller, don’t they lad?” Kíli corrected her, and rubbed a large hand over his son’s back. Víli rubbed at his still-damp eyes and nodded.

“Damn steps.” He parroted wetly, and Elenor narrowed her eyes at her husband but didn’t say anything. He offered her a bright smile in return, and winked at her playfully.

“Can you tell me which stairs, my love?” She asked as she turned to sit him on her desk, right on top of her inventory sheets. She sat back down in front of him, and his little boots clunked down on her knees as he squirmed to get comfortable.

“The o-ones by the k-kitchens.” He sniffled around his words, but she was relieved to hear that they weren’t slurred. It was a good sign. She pulled a handkerchief out of her desk drawer and wiped his face clean.  
“We were getting a snack.” Tíli interjected helpfully, and Elenor smiled at her briefly before returning her attention to Víli.

“Can you grab my finger please Víli?” She asked, holding a single finger up within his reach. He grasped it without hesitating or wavering. _Good, no double vision_ , she thought, _probably no concussion then._

“Good job, my love. I think you’ll live!” She poked at his belly playfully, and he giggled. She pulled him off of her desk and into her lap, hugging him close and dropping a kiss on his head.

“Can you tell him a feel-better story, Mama?” Tíli asked, and Kíli laughed.

“To make _Víli_ feel better, huh _bunnanunê_?” He teased, picking her up. She beamed at him and tugged at his hair happily.

Elenor stared down at her paperwork. It would be there later, she decided. It’d even still be there tomorrow, if she so choose.

“Oh alright.” She sighed, and their pebbles cheered. She cuddled Víli close as Kíli sat on the nearest cot with their daughter. “Where were we?”

“Rabbits.” Víli reminded her around a slobbery fist, and she gently tugged his fingers out of his mouth before beginning.

“Yes, that’s right, thank you… so, it took many days and nights for the two women and their wizard to find his kin…”

* * *

Delores was screaming again.

Elenor knew that her sister hated travelling on the sled, she knew that. She also had to admit that traversing the misty mountains wasn’t comfortable at the best of times, and was downright _un_ comfortable with speedy rabbits. But they weren’t in the mountains anymore, there were no sudden drops, and her ears were about to fall off. They had set off to find Gandalf as soon as they could, not even stopping at home first. Instead, they took off East- living off of the land where they could before stocking up in Caras Galadhon as they passed through Lothlorien. It was a relief to see trees that weren’t diseased, and Galadriel’s people took good care of their forest. They had not been there long enough to see the esteemed lady herself, but Haldir assured them he would pass on their regards. Galadriel was fickle, but generally kind.

Elenor could still remember how she had listened to the two of them as they stumbled through their unlikely tale with no hint of derision or disbelief- and she certainly would have been entitled to. Theirs was a crazy story, even to their own ears. Had they not lived it, Elenor wasn’t certain she would believe them either. She had been nineteen, a very young nineteen at that, and Delores twenty two when they crash-landed in the middle of Lorien. One moment, they had been hiking in the Rocky Mountains in Montana, and then they were in the middle of… well, Middle Earth. Galadriel’s guards had found them, and from there she had summoned the White Council. To make a very long meeting short, there had been no easy explanation for their appearance and so far no remedy for their situation. So Radagast, kind, kind Radagast, had taken them under his wing. Elenor would be eternally grateful to her mentor, and as surly and exasperated as her sister could be sometimes, she knew Delores would agree with her.

From Lothlorien, they had passed through the Misty Mountains just west of there, and as soon as they had gotten into the foothills and plains had immediately went north. Elenor had never been able to get a straight answer out of how Radagast always seemed to know where the other wizards were, but it was instances like this that she was grateful for that skill. Whatever had been in that fortress had scared Radagast. Really scared him. He had refused to tell them what it was, and had practically slapped her hand away from the wrapped package he had brought back with them. Whatever it was, it was not good news. Hence, their impromptu hunt for Gandalf.

The road had been long, Elenor was ready for a real rest that didn’t look to be happening anytime soon, and Delores was. Still. Screaming.

They were crashing through rough underbrush when Radagast started yelling as well. Though where Delores’ screaming was one unintelligible sound, Radagast was ranting about thieves and murder and all sorts of other pleasant things that didn’t make him sound like a madman at all. Really, when the sled pulled to an unexpected stop and both of her companions ceased shouting, the silence was nearly deafening.

“Radagast! It’s Radagast the Brown! And Elenor and Delores, how are you girls?” Gandalf cried happily, and Elenor had never been so happy to hear the grey wizard’s voice. She smiled up at him as Delores pushed her way off the sled and passed another person-was that a dwarf?- and dove behind a tree. Elenor cringed at the sound of retching, and turned to address the wizard.

“Apologies, Gandalf, rabbit travel doesn’t really agree with her.” She said, and rose to her feet to step off of the sled. She gathered her skirts in one hand to keep them out of her way, but she stumbled nonetheless. Gandalf grabbed a hold of her elbow to keep her steady, and patted her arm affectionately as he graced her with a fond smile.

“Quite alright my dear. What on earth are you doing here?” He returned, and directed his question to Radagast. Elenor let herself be dismissed, and looked around the clearing they had so abruptly stopped in. As it turned out, she had been correct about the dwarf- there were a dozen of them, roughly, she figured, and they were all armed to some degree or another. Her eyes swept over the assembled group, and she flushed lightly when several were staring in her direction with varying levels of suspicion.

She stepped over the rabbit’s leather harnesses, intending to check on her sister and get herself out of the centre of attention at the same time, when one of the rabbits was startled by a twig under her foot. The harness lead pulled taut in front of her, and she staggered.

An unfamiliar, gloved hand appeared, reaching for her, and she grabbed at it. It held onto her own firmly, a steady anchor as she fought to regain her balance, and didn’t let go until she passed safely over the last of the leather straps. Once she was free of the improvised obstacle course, she felt steady enough to lift her eyes to her rescuer.

It was one of the dwarves, and one of the younger ones by comparison. She noticed, vaguely, that he had more of a scruff than a beard compared to the others she had glanced over. But it was his eyes that took her noticed more than his facial hair. Elenor had never been one for poetry-had hated English Literature class, actually-but his eyes were…something else. They were a pretty shade of brown, sure. But they were also warm, as though he was smiling without moving his lips. She wondered absently if his real smile would light them up even further, and had a sudden desire to find out.

And then reality came crashing back down around her ears and she realized that not only had she been staring at the poor dwarf, but she was also still clutching his hand.

Elenor’s cheeks burned and she pulled her hand away with a blink. Her ears began to warm as well when his eyes danced at her, and a small grin began to curl the corner of his mouth.

“Uh, um…” she faltered for a moment, before gathering herself. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, my lady.” He replied, inclining his head respectfully. His voice was deeper then she had expected- but then again she didn’t know what she would have expected in the first place. She blinked at him for a moment, before spinning on her and marching to the tree in embarrassment.

Delores looked up at her from where she was slumped over. There was a small pile of sick at the base of the tree, and Elenor tried not to look too hard at it.

“So how was second breakfast?” She teased, and Delores threw her the middle finger. Elenor huffed out a laugh, and helped heave Delores to her feet.

“Do you feel at least a little better, though?” She asked, and Delores nodded tiredly as she pinched her brow.

“Much. God damn rabbits.”

When they re-entered the clearing, it was just in time for the delightful sight of Radagast pulling a bug out of his mouth. Elenor winced on reflex, and beside her Delores made a sound of disgust.

“Oh, Radagast, that’s really gross.”

“Nonsense, it’s just a stick insect dear.” The brown wizard brushed her off, stooping to release the bug onto a leaf. Delores just shook her head- sticking odd things in his mouth wasn’t new for Radagast, and they while they hadn’t quite gotten used to it, it wasn’t jarring anymore either.

“Come, Radagast, let’s figure this out old friend.” Gandalf interrupted the exchange, and the two wizards tramped a little further into the forest, leaving the two women behind with the unfamiliar company.

Silence. Just slightly awkward silence.

Delores seemed unbothered by it, but Elenor’s hands itched to fumble with her skirts, twist her fingers, do something to relieve the nervous energy. And then a hobbit stepped forward. Or what Elenor thought was a hobbit- he resembled very much the illustrations in some of Radagast’s books on the history of Middle Earth.

“Bilbo Baggins, at your service.” He bowed slightly.

“Oh! Um, I’m Elenor Campbell. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.” She said quickly, and Delores chimed in a second later with “Delores Campbell. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mister Baggins.” Then, in a move they had practiced more times than either of them cared to admit, they curtsied together. It was just a shallow curtsy, any deeper and Delores would have looked quite silly as she was wearing trousers, but Bilbo smiled.

“We, I mean, I wasn’t really expecting to see anyone this far into the forest! What brings you three this far out?” He asked politely.

“Well, um, you see…” Elenor drew up short. How does one explain giant spiders, bats, and poisonous forest-tar without seeming… unstable? Thankfully, Delores cut in smoothly.

“Radagast needed to discuss a forest sickness with Gandalf. We’re just along for the ride.”

Elenor smiled gently at the polite hobbit as he nodded despite his obvious confusion.

“Oh, well…that sounds problematic?” He replied. Elenor was just beginning to answer when she stuttered silent. The hairs on the back of her neck stood straight up. A howl, in the distance but…there was crunching in the undergrowth. Whatever that howl belonged to was still on its way, but there was already something here.

“Was that a wolf? Ar- are there wolves out there?” Bilbo whirled around, looking in the opposite direction. Towards the howl.

“Wolves? No, that is not a wolf.” One of the dwarves replied, clutching a mattock. Delores’ hand gripped at Elenor’s wrist tightly, but before anyone could correct Bilbo properly a larger snap came from behind the two women. Their hands broke apart as they whirled around.

Elenor bit back a scream as a massive warg charged down the hill, crashing through the underbrush as though it didn’t exist. Elenor pushed Delores back roughly before diving in the opposite direction to get out of the path of the roaring beast as it leapt into the clearing. It had barely landed before a black-haired dwarf dressed in fur and armour drove a sword between its eyes. That sight alone would have been horrifying, but it was compounded with the fact that there was a second warg coming in behind said dwarf.

This one was brought down almost as quickly by a joint effort between the brown-eyed dwarf from earlier, and a tattooed dwarf. She tried not to look to closely at the now bashed-in skull of the warg, and luckily, Gandalf and Radagast rejoined them before she could get too wound up.

“Warg scouts! Which means an orc pack is not too far behind.” The dark haired, fur wearing dwarf warned.

“Orc pack?!” Bilbo cried, and his indignant incredulousness would have been funny in any other situation. Elenor wished desperately that this _were_ any other situation as she rushed to Radagast’s elbow, Delores on her heels.

“Radagast, are you alright?” She asked, and he turned to her.

“Yes, of course,” as if something as simply as a couple stray _wargs_ was not a danger to him, “Are you? Delores? You didn’t get snagged?” His eyes bounced from her to Delores once again, inspecting each of them as though such ‘snags’ would appear under his eyes.

“No, Radagast, we’re fine- but how-“ And then Gandalf and the fur-dwarf were arguing, “How are we going to get out of this? All I’ve got is my staff!” Delores protested, leaning closer so he would hear her over the din. And then another young dwarf was claiming their ponies had bolted, and Elenor was filled with dread. They couldn’t fit thirteen dwarves on the sled, and they couldn’t leave these dwarves to fend for themselves. Not against a warg pack, that would practically be murder, and she said as such to Radagast. He looked at her for a moment, a wild glint in his eye.

“I’ll draw them off.” He exclaimed, and matching shouts of dismay echoed from Elenor and Delores.

“These are Gundabad wargs! They’ll outrun you!” Gandalf tried to brush the idea off, and for a split second Elenor had hope that Radagast would listen to the grey wizard. Just a split second.

“ _These_ are Rhosgobel rabbits,” Radagast countered mischievously, “I’d _like to see them try._ ”

And that was all it took for Gandalf to crumble. Delores rounded on their mentor furiously.

“Radagast, no! You can’t- you’ll be eaten!” She cried, and Elenor stared helplessly as the brown wizard shook his head.

“Stay with Gandalf, my dears. I will see you soon.” He patted Delores’ arm, smiling at her encouragingly. When he turned to Elenor, he cupped her chin.

“Be brave, Elenor Campbell.” He whispered, and then he was disappearing through the trees on the back of the sled.

They waited a couple heartbeats, giving him a head start before they followed. In the distance, many, many warg howls erupted. Underneath the cacophony they could hear Radagast yelling incoherently.

And then they ran. Gandalf pushed Elenor and Delores in front of him, where they did their best to keep up with the dwarves. Once they cleared the tree line, they could see their insane mentor weaving in and around the boulders that littered the field- angry wargs and orcs on his trail.

 _There are so many of them!_ Elenor thought desperately, more than once, as the troupe hid tried to cover ground quickly and unseen.   
“What on earth is he doing?” Delores exclaimed under her breath, as Radagast and his pursuers cut across their path for the second or third time. “Has he forgotten he’s meant to draw them away, not closer?”

Elenor and Delores had ended up near the front this time, behind Gandalf and the fur-wearing dwarf she was beginning to suspect was the dwarves’ leader. Instead of answering her sister’s frustrated remark, she reached out to yank one of the younger dwarves back behind the boulder as he raced too far forward.

“Ori, no!” The dwarf leader yelled, and together they had him out of sight again before the orcs saw. She twitched a smile at the dwarf leader, who barely glanced at her. They waited for one heartbeat, then two, and then Gandalf gave the signal and they took off again.

Their next stop was not as lucky. Elenor pressed back into the boulder as far as she was able, scarcely daring to breath as she listened to the scratching of warg claws on stone. There was one…right…above them. She found Delores’ hand and clutched it tightly, heartbeat thundering in her ears. She didn’t want to have her eyes open, but she didn’t want to close them either. If this was her last moment, she didn’t want the inside of her eyelids to be the last thing she saw. So Elenor kept them open, and she wasn’t sure if she regretted or appreciated that decision when Brown-Eyes stepped away from the rock to loose one arrow, and then two, at the creature. She bit down on her fist to stifle a scream as warg and rider tumbled down the rock to land in front of them, where the dwarves descended on it with their weapons drawn. She did close her eyes this time, torn between dread and embarrassment- it was not a clean kill, not even slightly. The warg and its rider screeched loudly as they were defeated, and she knew that it wouldn’t go unnoticed. It was so loud, there was no way the rest of its pack wouldn’t hear it.

She hated being right.

“MOVE! RUN!” Gandalf yelled. Elenor and Delores ran side by side, clutching each other’s hand. In the nearly-barren plain, she was sure they made an easy target.

“Kíli, shoot them!”

“We’re surrounded!”

They were trapped. The beasts and their riders closed in from every side, and slowly but surely Elenor, her sister, and the dwarves were being grouped closer and closer together.

“God damnit,” Delores growled, clenching her fists over and over, “My staff is on the fucking sled!”

Desperately, Elenor looked around. There were no sticks, there was nothing but dirt and grass and rocks.

Rocks.

Elenor scooped a couple decent sized ones up and thrust one at her sister. Delores gave her a vaguely disgusted look.

“Better than nothing, Delly!” Elenor snapped.

They fell back alongside the rest of the dwarves, being curled tighter and tighter together. Elenor ended up shoulder to shoulder with the young dwarf she had pulled minutes earlier- he was armed with a slingshot and nothing else. Well, neither was she, so there was no room for judgement she guessed.

“Where’s Gandalf?”  
“He’s abandoned us!”

A shot of fear ran down her spine when she looked around and saw that Gandalf was, indeed, nowhere to be seen. The dwarf shot a stone at one of the approaching wargs, and it barely flinched. Elenor curled her arm back, took aim, and flung her larger rock. It hit the warg’s eye, and it snarled. Delores’ throw glanced the rider’s shoulder, which just made it smirk mockingly at her. Elenor scooped up a couple more rocks, tossing them as best she could while moving backwards but it did very little.

Someone called for them to hold their ground, and Delores scoffed, continuing to drag Elenor backwards. Easy for someone with a _sword_ to say.

“This way, you fools!” Gandalf was scolding them, beckoning them into what appeared to be a hole in the ground.

Elenor, Delores, and Slingshot were among the last to get to the hole. Elenor paused at the mouth, waiting for Slingshot to slide down. Delores wasn’t paying attention, keeping an eye on the ever-advancing orcs.

“Delly, move!” Elenor barked, and shoved roughly at the other woman.

“No, you first!” Delores tried to insist, but Elenor shoved her again.

“No time!” And then Delores tripped over a rock, rolling down into the cave-hole. Elenor was perched on the side, waiting for her sister to roll just a little farther away so she could slide down as well when the Dwarf Leader hollered. He had moved closer to her, and she jumped at the sudden yell.

“Kíli, RUN!” There were still two dwarves out in the field. A blond one, and Brown Eyes. She stared, frozen, as she watched Brown Eyes run towards them. He was the furthest out, and her heart leapt into her throat as she watched the wargs were gaining on him.

“Elenor, get down here!” Delores was yelling behind her, but she couldn’t move. The blond dwarf came to a stop beside her, dual swords still drawn. He was perfectly still beside her, and even without looking at him she could easily guess that he was watching Brown Eyes just as closely as she was.

“Come on, Kíli!” He yelled, and she realized with a sudden, inappropriately timed jolt that ‘Kíli’ was Brown-Eyes’ name. His real name. She had no time to absorb this realization before Brown Ey- _Kíli_ was right in front of her, grabbing onto her arm.  
“Come on!” And he jumped, pulling her with him. Jagged rock knocked the breath out of her as they fell, and then more hands were pulling on her. She recognized Delores’ voice chewing her out for not coming down immediately, but she tuned her sister out in favour of rubbing a sore lump on the back of her head. When she opened her eyes again, the blond dwarf and the Leader were also in the hole. Or tunnel, as she quickly realized.

A hunting horn sounded somewhere above them, and the furious snarling kicked back up a notch. She wasn’t the only one staring at the entrance above them as screams and howls rang out, and she certainly wasn’t the only one to scurry backwards as an orc suddenly tumbled down the slide.

The Dwarves’ Leader tugged an arrow out of the corpse, inspecting it for a second before scowling.

“Elves.” he spat, and threw it down roughly. Some of the dwarves around them were also scowling at the proclamation, though Elenor couldn’t guess what their ire was for- but she also decided she couldn’t care less. Those elves had just saved their lives, and while she wasn’t exactly sure where they were she knew that there was only one Elven settlement left this side of the Misty Mountains.

It had been a long time since they had last seen Rivendell.

* * *

Víli’s stomach growled, and Elenor chuckled.

“Are you hungry, little love?” She asked, bouncing the toddler on her knee and gently tugging his fingers out of his mouth again.

“Is it suppertime, Mama?” He asked and she stood, placing him on her hip.

“I do believe it is.” She replied. Kíli stood as well, turning back to scoop Tíli up off the cot. He tossed her up into the air and she shrieked with laughter, giggling when he caught her again and tucked her onto his own hip.

“I hope Uncle Bilbo made pie for des’rt…” Víli wished aloud, and Elenor exchanged a look with her husband. It was an apprehensive look. Pie meant sugar, and Bilbo meant Thorin. And Thorin, as much as she respected and even loved her husband’s uncle, had a bad habit of sneaking extra sweets to their children.

“Do you think there’ll be pie, _Adad_?” Víli asked, and Kíli shrugged.

His voice said “I’m not sure, lad. Perhaps.”, but his eyes said _‘Sweet Mahal please no.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Khuzdul, courtesy of the Dwarrow Scholar:  
> Adad: Father  
> Bunnanunê: my tiny treasure

**Author's Note:**

> Khuzdul Translation:  
> Adad: Father  
> Amrâlimê: My love


End file.
